Kerri Sandford
The year was 2000. Kerri Sandford – armed with a hot-off-the-press Journalism degree from the University of Regina – had finished sending out resumes to newspapers all over the place. She had one left. So she popped it in the mail. Destination: Medicine Hat News.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Like actually history.
Today, some 12 years later, Kerri just happens to the youngest managing editor in the Medicine Hat News’ 127 years and also the first female to be at the helm. “Every day we’re writing the history book of Medicine Hat and I get to be part of that,” says 36-year-old Kerri, who was born in Ontario but grew up in northern B.C.
Besides overseeing all of the editorial activities at the News, Kerri also owns Indomitable Spirit Martial Arts with her husband Jeff – a fourth-degree black belt – and she’s on the board of the Santa Claus Fund. Kerri and Jeff also have two kids – ages 5 and 1 who are involved in all kinds of activities.
So just how does she manage it all?
“I love lists and hate clutter,”
laughs Kerri from her very clean office at the News. “In university, I was known as the post-it note queen.”
This well-spoken editor also loves what she’s doing.
Kerri started her career at the News as a reporter in entertainment and lifestyles. Within three months, she became editor of that department and three years later was appointed city editor. She then took over the assistant managing editor reins before taking on her current role.
“The people here make coming to work easy,” says Kerri. “They’re professional, knowledgeable and have fabulous ideas. We want to put out the best newspaper every single day and make it better than it was the day before.”
Kerri says she actually gained a new perspective on life after her husband received a scary cancer diagnosis a couple of years ago. Jeff – currently a power lineman with the City of Medicine Hat – was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had surgery to remove it – all while he was going to school and they had a three-year-old at home.
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“Jeff always says there’s no such thing as quitting,” says Kerri. “So you either curl up or you fight.”
And fight they did.
Two years later, Jeff is cancer-free. “The little things don’t seem that big anymore,” she says. “If my house is a little messy, then my house is a little messy.”
Congratulations to Medicine Hat's
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